Independent tours

[cruisersnorkler]

Our trip was December 2006. 6 months ago, now. Really, we reccommend this highly.

[newmexicoNita]

I think what we will be looking for on our HAL cruise late November is a combination of some wildlife and maybe swimming. We are in our late 60s, all of us are reasonably healthy but one can't climb hills. All other walking is easy. What do you suggest? Of course we want to do a private tour, not one from the ship and want to have a little time to shop.

 

NMNita

[cruisersnorkler]

I would contact aurora@geoexpediciones.com Aurora Gamez and tell him what you are interested in. He was very open to our suggestions. He said something about a interesting village, also. He is very patient and kind. He answered our many questions about his country. His van was nice, he was a good driver and gave us different suggestions. He has been the best guide we have ever had.

[coiran]

Does Charlie Soto have an e mail or web site?

Ron

[cruisersnorkler]

We thought the mans name was Aurora Gamez because he told us he had been the one emailing us. He said he was the owner and did a tour most days, but to various places, depending where the guest wanted to go. When he arrived at the resort the workers hugged and kissed him on both cheeks. They treated him with alot of respect. He may of told us a different name, but we were so excited it didn't sink in. He probably thought we didn't understand when we called him Aurora. Like I said, he was the best guide we have ever had and only wanted to please us.

[cruisersnorkler]

I just looked at your pictures. That was not the van we were in. We were in a small, new, 8 passenger, silver-gray van. Maybe because our group was small they used that van for us.

[gwydiana]

You have all recommended Charlie Soto so highly, I just had to email him. I'm very much looking forward to experiencing his Costa Rica :)

[babsianne]

I'm surprised so many other tours and guides were suggested, but nobody provided prices for anyone except Soto, whose price was listed twice??

 

Also, it sounds important to keep the costs in mind of all the activities. tour + transportation for $45ea, zip line $40ea, boat tour $35ea, that already comes to $120 EACH.

 

I'm considering what cruise to take for my honeymoon, but I would not want to spend $240 per port excluding shopping and lunch, that sounds like a price more reasonable for North America, not Costa Rica.

 

seems like a particularly expensive port compared to others I am reading about. This will be my first cruise, but our money will be limited, so perhaps this is not the best port destination choice for me.

[travel-kat]

not only can it add up in cost, but you could try to do so much you don't savor the day.

 

We didn't spend that much because in addition to Charlie we paid for the river cruise and lunch. Important to keep in mind the cruise and lunch money went to someone else. I think we got every penny's worth for what we did.

[MTemple212]

I am just wondering if any of these independent tour providers are insured or registered with the Government of Costa Rica? Do you remember what happened in Chile back about 5 or six months ago?

[gambler]

What happened in Chile????

[PuertoLimonTourGuide]

I am just wondering if any of these independent tour providers are insured or registered with the Government of Costa Rica? Do you remember what happened in Chile back about 5 or six months ago?

 

You need to ask the tour operators. For example Aurora Gamez is the owner of Geo Expediciones and Almonds and Corals Zip Line, they are fully covered, I also know that green way tours from Mario also has insurance... but if you are hiring a local tour guide like Charlie Soto or Oscar Brown there will be no insurance at all.

 

Good question Temple212

[babsianne]

I am just wondering if any of these independent tour providers are insured or registered with the Government of Costa Rica? Do you remember what happened in Chile back about 5 or six months ago?

 

insured for what? I would assume any traveller should have travel insurance, I do not know why the tour guide would need insurance? That's like demanding a cab driver who gives you a driving tour to have it? There must be something I'm missing here.

[PuertoLimonTourGuide]

If there is car accident and you end up in a hospital by any reason... if there is insurance it will pay your madical expenses in a private hospital... public hospitals are not the best place to be in Costa Rica.... if you die in an accident (God protect us all) the insurance company and the tour operator would have to take the responsability and pay for the hotel of the rest of your family and worry about many things like sending the body back to USA for example.

 

I do think is important even though I am mentioning the worst scenario.

 

Thats one of the big difference between a Taxi Driver and a Tour Operator.... Tour operators pay a lot of money per month to have insurance and all their legal papers in order. Like their Tourism License for example that is not easy to get.

[elsje]

You need to ask the tour operators. For example Aurora Gamez is the owner of Geo Expediciones and Almonds and Corals Zip Line, they are fully covered, I also know that green way tours from Mario also has insurance... but if you are hiring a local tour guide like Charlie Soto or Oscar Brown there will be no insurance at all.

 

Good question Temple212

 

According to Charlie Soto's web-site he has full coverage insurance! How would you know if he does not provide insurance?

Charlie has a wonderful reputation on these boards and we have an excursion planned with him, first time, next month. My travel insurance would take care of any accidents anyway. I would never rely on a foreign tour operator's insurance because of language, rules and restrictions etc. etc.

 

I sure do hope you are not a tour operator yourself ~ if you are you could be violating cruise critic's tour operator policy

[johnlcruise]

I booked through "Oscar Brown tours" http://www.oscarbrowntours.com/

Eventhough his web site is still under construction, if you click under tours you will see what he has to offer.

I then e-mailed Carol and Oscar and got a reply within 24 hours.

They help plan a very nice tour for the 4 of us this Nov.6th.

So far very happy with the service from this company. :-)

[babsianne]

thank you elsje, that is exactly what I was saying. you should never put your insurance in the hands of strangers, so what does it matter what insurance the operator has (or claims to have). I would not decide based on that assumption, but rather based on personal experience shared by others (that's why these boards are so extremely helpful).

 

I suppose some people might feel extra safe if told the operator has insurance, but of course it would take some extra work to ensure they are telling the truth, and i personally do not see the point.

[elsje]

thank you elsje, that is exactly what I was saying. you should never put your insurance in the hands of strangers, so what does it matter what insurance the operator has (or claims to have). I would not decide based on that assumption, but rather based on personal experience shared by others (that's why these boards are so extremely helpful).

 

I suppose some people might feel extra safe if told the operator has insurance, but of course it would take some extra work to ensure they are telling the truth, and i personally do not see the point.

 

Hi Babs ~ I agree with you too ~ Have you ever read a tour operator's insurance policy? I have not ;) You know the posts from PuertoLimonGuide made me suspicious of this OP. While he has some great sightseeing suggestions he picks on Charlie and Oscar. They both have wonderful reviews and here comes an OP who is "brand-new" claiming that neither of these guys have insurance. Why would he do that? May be he is soliciting business for himself or for a company he works for? I am not sure but it does not make sense.

 

Some of the tour operators that the OP mentioned might very well be reputable but you know what you have to pay them upfront. With Charlie and Oscar you pay at the end of the tour. So no hassles in trying to get your monies back if you end up sick or whatever. I picked Charlie because of the wonderful reviews and that means much more to me.

 

I will post a review when we get back in October ~ Els

[PuertoLimonTourGuide]

According to Charlie Soto's web-site he has full coverage insurance! How would you know if he does not provide insurance?

Charlie has a wonderful reputation on these boards and we have an excursion planned with him, first time, next month. My travel insurance would take care of any accidents anyway. I would never rely on a foreign tour operator's insurance because of language, rules and restrictions etc. etc.

 

I sure do hope you are not a tour operator yourself ~ if you are you could be violating cruise critic's tour operator policy

 

There are many levels of insurance, some of them can not be provided unless you have a Tour Operator License. In Costa Rica insurance is a monopoly from the goverment. And Tour Operator license are very expensive. If a driver from the port(Oscar,Charlie,or anyone) owns a license or rent one, that is great for him!!!, I hope is true!!!. And I also hope that this web site start helping many other drivers from the transport asociation from limon just like charlie or oscar. If a tourist would only get off the ship and book a tour from the association then they would pick a driver ramdomly and they are all good. You would get Charlie or Oscar if they wouldnt have so many reservation for them selves with out giving a peny to the association. Until now this website has only helped a few smart ones that tell their costumers to post in this website while they hide it from their hundreads of colleges that provide the exact same service and wonder how they got so many costumers from the internet. While some takes thousands and thousands others get penys and I dont cosider that fair. Since they all have families to feed.

 

I am sure that most of the people that travel on cruises have another kind of insurance. I am not trying to make Oscar or Charlie look bad, they are my colleges and they do great job as tour guides, I am writing what I know and the truth.. Some times tourists don’t think of security at all.

 

 

1 example: Lets say you break your leg doing white water rafting like it happened to a student from a group that I was guiding... he had to finish the river in full pain because there is no other way out of the river. We where in the Pacuare river that is located in siquirres. About 1 hour from Puerto Limon town , we drove to Puerto Limon and took him to the public hospital (the only one in limon) and they referred us to San Jose on an ambulance since there was no orthopedic doctor in the hospital at that moment. It is a 4.5 hour drive to San Jose the capital. That student was here on a tour for 2 weeks, so I left the group with the driver and went back to San Jose and then 2 days later catch the group on their next hotel. But what if that would have being a Cruise Passenger? will the tour guide pay for the hotel??? the next morning plane ticket??? you need to give a little bit of credit to tour operator too.

 

 

I know the reality of this country and I am giving you good information, information that most tour guides would hide from you, I am not making publicity to the company I work for (I am not intrested in them making more money than what they all ready have), I am only answering to questions and giving good advises sticking to the rules that the administrator posted for this section.

[elsje]

I fully understand that Charlie is doing these tours on his own and I personally prefer to travel with a small group. Because he has such a good reputation I feel very comfortable and secure too AND I have my insurance that will bail me out (I hope).

 

I do not care much for cruise group excursions due to the large groups and way overpriced. I visited your country last December and I loved it. The people are wonderful and your rainforests are awesome.

 

In Mexico we have traveled extensively and mostly have done excursions on our won. We are the adventerous ones and I speak Spanish enough.

 

I am sorry that some of you feel that Charlie and Oscar "take" the money away from others. May be they got tired of the big guys keeping most of the money and they saw away out. Word of mouth when people enjoy their excursions is why they are successful. Both of them have excellent vans (cruise critic members show pictures). They provide water, drinks and have an emergency kit.

 

I do appreciate your comments and suggestions

[PuertoLimonTourGuide]

Last time that you visited do you remember that there is a red tent in front of the ship??

 

Well that tent is dedicated to sell shore excursions; it is the transporters association from Limon. They have nothing to do with the official shore excursions. They have the best prices. They have around 100 members that all own vans for 14 passengers and taxis. If you are a member you need to subscribe yourself in a list and wait for your turn, because there are not enough costumers for the 100 of them to have job in the same day. So every morning very early they show up to the port read the list and see what position they have for that day. If they are in the first 40 they might get some work. Oscar and Charlie used to belong to that list. Nowadays they pick up 8, 10, 20 or 40 passengers per day. While others in the list dream with getting a couple. The association would probably have a lot more of work if the first person that bought the tour would have mentioned on this website how good buying the tour in the “red tent” instead of only mentioning how good the tour with that specific tour guide was.

 

I think there are many tour guides that work in the association that deserve a shot. And most of them still dont know is because of this website, most dont even understand what a website is.

 

Sorry for my grammar... as a tour guide am only use to speak not to write.

[elsje]

Last time that you visited do you remember that there is a red tent in front of the ship??

 

Well that tent is dedicated to sell shore excursions; it is the transporters association from Limon. They have nothing to do with the official shore excursions. They have the best prices. They have around 100 members that all own vans for 14 passengers and taxis. If you are a member you need to subscribe yourself in a list and wait for your turn, because there are not enough costumers for the 100 of them to have job in the same day. So every morning very early they show up to the port read the list and see what position they have for that day. If they are in the first 40 they might get some work. Oscar and Charlie used to belong to that list. Nowadays they pick up 8, 10, 20 or 40 passengers per day. While others in the list dream with getting a couple. The association would probably have a lot more of work if the first person that bought the tour would have mentioned on this website how good buying the tour in the “red tent” instead of only mentioning how good the tour with that specific tour guide was.

 

I think there are many tour guides that work in the association that deserve a shot. And most of them still dont know is because of this website, most dont even understand what a website is.

 

Sorry for my grammar... as a tour guide am only use to speak not to write.

 

No ~ I do not remember that red tent because I have never been on a cruise ship to Costa Rica. We visited Costa Rica last year and stayed in Los Suenos and did the Sky Walk ~ Chicklets Tree Canopy Tour, Manuel Antonio State Park. It was through my husband's work so we were with a small group.

Do not apologize for your grammar. It is very good. I was born in Holland :) We are not docking in Limon, but in Puntarenas.

[PuertoLimonTourGuide]

OOOOOHhh ok Great!!!

 

Enojy your tour!!!!

 

Charlie will show you the best of this country.... he loves it.

 

See you when you get back.

[Driftwoodgal]

It has been my pleasure to be one of the posters that has helped Oscar Brown increase his business. When we first toured with Oscar he was renting the van that he drove from someone else. He has worked hard and kept up his reputation because of the great tours that he gives. Oscar is a licensed tour operator and does have insurance as he had to show it to a guard on our first tour with him. He now owns some of his own vans and uses a company that has large buses when he needs them.

 

It is mentioned that a tour operator should have insurance if you hurt yourself. Almonds and Corals will not cover you for anything if you hurt yourself while ziplining. You will sign a very detailed contract that releases them from any liablity if you hurt yourself while doing the tour. They have a very good operation out there, but it is a long way from the pier and the roads were bad when we were there in 2004. Any tour that might be risky would have a waiver for you to sign to protect themselves.

 

There have been attacks before, on the Costa Rica board, by parties that tried to discredit Oscar. I can vouch that he gives an excellent tour. We enjoyed our tour with him so much the first time we used him again in February 2006. There were 20 of us on the tour and it rained the entire day. Everyone had an incredible day in spite of the rain.

 

I haven't toured with Charlie Soto, but it sounds to me like he gives a very good tour as well. The red tent was there in 2004, not sure about 2006 as it was pouring rain when we dashed to the bus. So if people want to try someone different then they will now know that they can book a tour outside of the ship by stopping by there. Charlie and Oscar can't take all 2500 passengers in their vans.

 

I hope this thread gets back to talking about how great the country is and what is offered out there.

[elsje]

It has been my pleasure to be one of the posters that has helped Oscar Brown increase his business. When we first toured with Oscar he was renting the van that he drove from someone else. He has worked hard and kept up his reputation because of the great tours that he gives. Oscar is a licensed tour operator and does have insurance as he had to show it to a guard on our first tour with him. He now owns some of his own vans and uses a company that has large buses when he needs them.

 

It is mentioned that a tour operator should have insurance if you hurt yourself. Almonds and Corals will not cover you for anything if you hurt yourself while ziplining. You will sign a very detailed contract that releases them from any liablity if you hurt yourself while doing the tour. They have a very good operation out there, but it is a long way from the pier and the roads were bad when we were there in 2004. Any tour that might be risky would have a waiver for you to sign to protect themselves.

 

There have been attacks before, on the Costa Rica board, by parties that tried to discredit Oscar. I can vouch that he gives an excellent tour. We enjoyed our tour with him so much the first time we used him again in February 2006. There were 20 of us on the tour and it rained the entire day. Everyone had an incredible day in spite of the rain.

 

I haven't toured with Charlie Soto, but it sounds to me like he gives a very good tour as well. The red tent was there in 2004, not sure about 2006 as it was pouring rain when we dashed to the bus. So if people want to try someone different then they will now know that they can book a tour outside of the ship by stopping by there. Charlie and Oscar can't take all 2500 passengers in their vans.

 

I hope this thread gets back to talking about how great the country is and what is offered out there.

 

Hi Colleen ~ I am so glad to read your post! I have emailed Charlie about some of the previous posts about the Puerto Limon guide and charlie said he would check it out and appreciated the email. We will be on our first excursions with him in Puntarenas. Our cruise leaves this Sunday from Seattle to Fort Lauderdale. We are booked with Charlie. Oscar does not do Puntarenas at this time.

 

My DH and I visited Costa Rica last year and it was a land based vacation. We took three excursions and all three we had to sign waivers. I feel the same as you about "someone" trying to discredit Charlie and Oscar. Those guys have earned respect as tour guides and they build their business. No one gave it to them. ~ Els